Spain’s Xabi Alonso celebrated his 100th cap for his country with a two goal performance – lifting his side past France in Saturday’s quarter-final in Donetsk. The French had difficulty applying any real pressure as Spain ran out comfortable winners in a rather muted affair.

Spain’s Xabi Alonso heads for the ball during their Euro 2012 quarter-final soccer match against France at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, June 23, 2012. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

“Playing with a true forward gives you more depth but we wanted to have more continuity, to dominate and to have possession of the ball in order to create chances. I don’t think this is an unfair outcome because we were in control most of the time. – Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach, UEFA.com

“You’re never happy when you lose a game, you’re always disappointed. When you go out of a European Championship you’re even more disappointed. We had looked a lot at the Spanish side and we knew they were very good on the left, with Jordi Alba and Iniesta always doubling up. The most frustrating thing is that we conceded [the first goal] on that side. That’s what’s infuriating; they just had one cross and they scored.” – Laurent Blanc, France coach, UEFA.com

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